Spring biased cultivator attachment



Nov, 16, 1965 L LEDUC SPRING BIAsED cULTTvAToR ATTACHMENT Filedsept. 25, 1964 United States Patent 3 Claims. (Cl. 172-709) This application is a substitute for abandoned application Serial No. 651,207, filed April 8, 1957.

This invention relates to new and Iuseful improvements in wide sweep cultivator attachments, the principal object of the invention being to provide a device of the character herewithin described in which the cultivator foot is pivotally attached to its supporting standard for rocking movement about a horizontal axis parallel to the direction of travel of the cultivator, and which also includes resilient means for maintaining the foot in a plane normal to the standard.

It is the customary practice to rigidly secure the foot to the supporting standard, but this suifers from many disadvantages, the chief among which is that if the foot encounters some obstruction, undue strain is placed on the connection of the foot to the standard and damage often results. Also, conventional feet do not readily follow the contour of the soil, and the rigid attachment thereof to the standard often causes one wing of the foot to cut the soil at a greater depth than the other.

This invention overcomes the disadvantages above o-utlined by providing a floating sweep attachment which is capable to pass over rocks or other obstructions and which is also able to follow the contour of the land so that both wings of the blade cut at an even depth, regardless of surface irregularities.

Another feature of the invention resides in its particular suitability for use in shallow work or loose soil. Under such conditions, the sweep will not always immediately return to its normal position after passing over an obstruction, so the aforementioned resilient means are provided for stabilizing the sweep and urging it to its normal position as soon 4as the obstruction is cleared.

Another feature of the invention resides in its adaptability for use on conventional wide sweep sub-surface cultivators, and the like.

With the foregoing more important object and features in View and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention will be understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference are used to designate like parts, and wherein:

FIGURE l is a perspective view of the cultivator attachment in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 2 2 in FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a rear elevational view of the device;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional View, similar to FIGURE 2 but showing a modified embodiment;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of another modified embodiment; and

FIGURES 6, 7 and 8 are schematic views showing the device in various operational positions.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the general reference numeral 1 designates the foot of a conventional wide sweep cultivator, the same being in the form of a V-shaped blade including a pair of rearwardly divergent wings or sweeps 2 to which sweep cultivators (not shown) are secured in the conventional manner. A substantially triangular plate 3 is rigidly secured to the foot 1 so that it spans the angle included between the 3,217,814 Patented Nov. I6, 1965 Mice wings 2, the attachment of the plate to the foot being effected by suitable bolts 3.

The foot 1 is supported by an upright standard 6 from the cultivator frame (not shown), and in accordance with the invention, the lower end of the standard is provided with a horizontal shaft 7, extending in parallel to the direction of travel of the cultivator. It Will be understood that the axis of the shaft 7 bisects the angle included between the wings 2 of the foot 1. Suitable bearing blocks 8 are provided on the plate 3 to receive the end portions of the shaft 7, whereby the foot 1 is permitted to rock transversely, that is, about the axis of the shaft 7, relative to the standard 6. The blocks 8 may be secured to the plate 3 in any suitable manner, as for example by the welds 9.

Means are provided for resiliently urging the foot 1 to a horizontal plane in which it is normal to the standard 6. These means comprise a bracket or strap 10 which is suitably fastened to the underside of the plate 3 and projects rearwardly beyond the rear edge of the plate, while another bracket or strap 11 is secured to the rear edge of the standard 6 above the strap 10. An upright screwthreaded stud 11 is threaded into a screw-threaded aperture formed in the strap 10, where it is adjustably locked by a lock nut 12. A similar stud 13 extends through a screw-threaded aperture in the strap 11 where it is adjustably locked by a nut 14, the studs 11 and 13 normally being in substantial vertical alignment and having spaced opposing ends between which is extended a tension spring 15.

It will be apparent that the spring 15 will normally maintain the foot 1 in a horizontal plane, normal to the standard 6, but if either wing 2 of the foot strikes an obstruction, the foot will rock about the axis of the shaft 7 until the obstruction is cleared, whereupon the spring 15 will return the foot to its normal position.

In.,the modied embodiment of FIGURE 4 the shaft 7 is rigidly secured to the plate 3 rather than to the lower end of the standard 6, but is rotatably journalled in a tubular bearing 8 with which the lower end of the standard is equipped. The rear end portion of the shaft 7 is angulated to provide an upwardly extending member 16, the upper end 17 of which has connected thereto the lower end of the spring 15. This arrangement eliminates the use of the strap 10, stud 11 and nut 12 involved in the construction of FIGURE l.

The modification of FIGURE 5 is similar to FIGURE 1 except that the mounting shaft is rotatably journalled in the bearing blocks 8 on the plate 3 as well as in a tubular bearing 18 at the lower end of the standard. Suitable pins 20 are provided in the end portions of the shaft to prevent axial movement thereof.

FIGURES 6-8 schematically show the cultivator operation, wherein FIGURE 7 illustrates a conventional sweep which is rigidly secured to the standard 6 and, when moving in uneven ground, one side 23 of the sweep may cut relatively deep while its other side 24 may be exposed. By contrast, FIGURE 8 shows the device of the invention under similar conditions, wherein the sweep or foot 2 is tilted by the draft action of the implement so that it is substantially parallel to the ground surface 25 and at even depth at both sides. FIGURE 6 shows the sweep of the invention being tilted or deflected to clear a stone or other obstruction 21 below the ground surface 22.

It will be observed that the device of the invention not only operates more efficiently, but that majority of break- `ages which occure due to `rigid connection of the sweep to the standard are eliminated. Also, the floating action of the sweep substantially reduces normal wear, inasmuch as the sweep is able to pass gently over obstructions, with- 3 out grinding over the same with the weight of the whole implement as a load.

While 4in the foregoing there have been described and shown the preferred embodiments of the invention, various modications may become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly, it is not desired to limit the invention to this disclosure, and various modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is:

l. In a floating wide sweep cultivator attachment, the combination of a supporting standard, a horizontal shaft provided at the lower end of said standard and disposed in parallel to the direction of travel of the cultivator, a triangular plate-shaped foot mounted on said shaft for rocking movement about the axis of the shaft, and means for resiliently biasing said foot to a position normal to said standard, said means comprising an upstanding member provided on said foot on the axis of an perpendicularly to said shaft and projecting upwardly above said shaft, a bracket secured to said standard, a screw-threaded ad- All justable stud depending from said bracket normally in longitudinal alignment with said upstanding member, said upstanding member and said stud having spaced opposing ends, and a tension spring connected to and extending between said spaced opposing ends of said member and stud.

2. The device as dened in claim l wherein said upstanding member comprises a screw-threaded stud adjustably anchored to said foot.

3. The device as defined in claim ll wherein said shaft `is rigidly secured to said foot and rotatably attached to the lower end of said standard, said shaft having a perpendicularly angulated end portion constituting said upstanding member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 969,757 9/1910 weber 172-96 2,345,741 4/1944 Foulke Y 172-49s 2,358,531 9/1944 @rendern 172-264 X 2,818,792 ll/l958 Lynch et al 172-657 ABRAHAM G. STONE, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A FLOATING WIDE SWEEP CULTIVATOR ATTACHMENT, THE COMBINATION OF A SUPPORTING STANDARD, A HORIZONTAL SHAFT PROVIDED AT THE LOWER END OF SAID STANDARD AND DISPOSED IN PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF THE CULTIVATOR, A TRIANGULAR PLATE-SHAPED FOOT MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT FOR ROCKING MOVEMENT ABOUT THE AXIS OF THE SHAFT, AND MEANS FOR RESILIENTLY BIASING SAID FOOT TO A POSITION NORMAL TO SAID STANDARD, SAID MEANS COMPRISING AN UPSTANDING MEMBER PROVIDED ON SAID FOOT ON THE AXIS OF AN PERPENDICULARLY TO SAID SHAFT AND PROJECTING UPWARDLY ABOVE SAID SHAFT, A BRACKET SECURED TO SAID STANDARD, A SCREW-THREADED ADJUSTABLE STUD DEPENDING FROM SAID BRACKET NORMALLY IN LONGITUDINAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID UPSTANDING MEMBER, SAID UPSTANDING MEMBER AND SAID STUD HAVING SPACED OPPOSING ENDS, AND A TENSION SPRING CONNECTED TO AND EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID SPACED OPPOSING ENDS OF SAID MEMBER AND STUD. 